Reed wind instrument



June 29, 1965 M. MILLER REED WIND INSTRUMENT Filed May 20, 1963 wk QW INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,191,481 REED WIND INSTRUMENT Mel Miller, Box 96, Tremonton, Utah Filed May 20, 1963, Ser. No. 281,645 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-380) This invention relates to a tubular wind instrument to be known as Mel-O-Dy Master.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a tubular wind instrument comprising four separable parts embodying a reed equipped mouthpiece, a center piece, a horn amplifier and a mute all having interfitting co-axial relationship and wherein the several parts are interchangeable with corresponding parts of different size and dimensions to provide different tone effects; the instrument being easily played by forming the desired notes with the vocal cords, and at the same time blowing on the reed.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of the improved wind instrument, whereby certain advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, reference being now had to the accompanying specification and drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view thereof.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the reed.

FIGURE 5 is a detail view of the mouthpiece.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention.

The wind instrument 10 may be made of any suitable material such as wood, metal or plastic and comprises a mouthpiece 11 provided with a reed 12 secured in any desired manner to the mouthpiece as by a fanciful band 13, the mouthpiece having an axial bore 14 which angles upwardly at the tip 15 thereof as at 16. The reed 12 as shown is disposed over and in spaced relation to the angle portion 16 of the bore 14. The reed 12 is formed of thin resilient sheet metal as a stamping in the manner Well known and generally has the configuration shown in FIGURE 4. The mouthpiece 11 at its end opposite the tip 15 is formed to provide a reduced diameter portion 18 extending from a shoulder 19.

The center-piece 21 of the instrument 10 is of tubular form with an axial bore 22 and tapered ends 23, 24. At the tapered end 24 the bore 22 terminates in an enlarged diameter portion 26. The end 18 of the mouthpiece is adapted to telescope within the end 23 of the center-piece 21 with a slight friction tight fit to be held therein and at the same time permit separation by a pulling action. The end 23 will abut the shoulder 19 as shown in FIG- URE 2.

The horn amplifier 3i is of tapered tubular formation with an axial bore 31 that is preferably flared, i.e., increasing gradually in diameter outwardly from its rear end 32. The read end 32 is of a diameter such as to have a slight friction fit within the enlarged diameter portion 26 of the center-piece bore 22, as shown in FIGURE 2, similar to the fit of the end 18 of the mouthpiece in the bore 22 at the end 23 of the center-piece 21. Provided exteriorly of the horn amplifier 30 are longitudinally extending bracing as well as decorative fins 33. A mute 36 provided with an axial rearwardly tapered bore 37 has a plug-like fn'ction fit in the flared end 38 of the horn amplifier 30. In the assembled relation of the horn amplifier 30 with the center-piece 21, the inclined ends 39 of the fins 33 seat on the tapered or frusto-conical surface of the end 24 of the center-piece in the manner as clearly shown in FIG- URE 3, in order to brace the horn amplifier as will be apparent.

In the modification shown in FIGURE 6, the mouthpiece 11a and center-piece 21a are of a length greater re- 3,191,481 Patented June 29, 1965 spectively than that of the mouthpiece 11 and center-piece 21, while the horn amplifier 30a is of less length than the horn amplifier 30. The mute 36a is provided with radial orifices 42 that communicate with the axial bore in the mute which may be closed at its outer end. This variation in the dimensions of the instrument parts will achieve an altogether different tonal effect of the instrument which may thus be made to imitate wind instruments such as a trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, etc.

The interfitting friction telescopic connections are made correspondingly the same, such that the instrument may be selectively modified at will by the appropriate selection of interchangeable parts.

The instrument as described above is played by Thinking the notes and blowing on the reed. The notes are actually formed by the vocal cords, and use of the instrument will improve the voice by developing the vocal cords and will also improve singing.

While the preferred forms of the invention have been shown, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wind instrument assembly of components comprising a mouthpiece having a tip portion at its rear end, a shoulder and a reduced diameter portion at its forward end, an axial bore having an entrance that angles upwardly at the tip portion, and a reed fastened to said mouthpiece overlying the entrance of the axial bore at the tip portion thereof; a center-piece of tubular cylindrical formation having tapered rear and forward ends, an axial bore therein terminating at the forward tapered end in a shoulder and an enlarged diameter portion; said mouthpiece having its reduced diameter portion separably friction-fitted within the axial bore of the center-piece at its rear end and with its shoulder in abutting engagement with the rear end of the center-piece; a horn amplifier hav ing a thin wall providing an axial bore flaring outwardly towards the forward end thereof, the rear end portion of said horn amplifier separately friction-fitted into the enlarged diameter portion at the forward tapered end of the center piece and in abutting engagement with the shoulder thereat, bracing fin means extending longitudinally ex teriorly of the horn amplifier wall and integral therewith, the rear ends of said fin means having a taper corresponding to the forward tapered end of the center piece and in abutting engagement therewith; and a mute separably friction-fitted within the flared forward end of the horn amplifier and projecting forwardly thereof, said mute having a tapered axial bore with its smaller diameter end at the rear end of the mute, and the axial bores of each of said component parts of the wind instrument in the assembled relation thereof being co-axial.

2. The wind instrument of claim 1, wherein said mute is provided with a plurality of radial passages communicating with the axial bore thereof at its larger diameter end, said radial passages being disposed in the forward end portion of the mute extcriorly of the forward end of said horn amplifier.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 545,610 9/95 Prucfer 84-380 968,694 8/10 Rubright 84-3 1,166,971 l/l6 Conn 84-380 1,425,318 8/22 Couturier 84-300 2,318,535 5/43 Spivak -4 84400 2,621,553 12/52 Daoust 84-400 2,944,459 7/60 Simmonds 84380 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WIND INSTRUMENT ASSEMBLY OF COMPONENTS COMPRISING A MOUTHPIECE HAVING A TIP PORTION AT ITS REAR END, A SHOULDER AND A REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION AT ITS FORWARD END, AN AXIS BORE HAVING AN ENTRANCE THAT ANGLES UPWARDLY AT THE TIP PORTION, AND A REED FASTENED TO SAID MOUTHPIECE OVERLYING THE ENTRANCE OF THE AXIAL BORE AT THE TIP PORTION THEREOF; A CENTER-PIECE OF TUBULAR CYLINDRICAL FORMATION HAVING TAPERED REAR AND FORWARD ENDS, AN AXIAL BORE THEREIN TERMINATING AT THE FORWARD TAPERED END IN A SHOULDER AND AN ENLARGED DIAMETER PORTION; SAID MOUTHPIECE HAVING ITS REDUCED DIAMETER PORTION SEPARABLY FRICTION-FITTED WITHIN THE AXIAL BORE OF THE CENTER-PIECE AT ITS REAR END AND WITH ITS SHOULDER IN ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REAR END OF THE CENTER-PIECE; A HORN AMPLIFIER HAVING A THIN WALL PROVIDING AN AXIAL BORE FLARING OUTWARDLY TOWARDS THE FORWARD END THEREOF, THE REAR END PORTION OF SAID HORN AMPLIFIER SEPARATELY FRICTION-FITTED INTO THE ENLARGED DIAMETER PORTION AT THE FORWARD TAPERED END OF THE CENTER PIECE AND IN ABUTTINH ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SHOULDDER THEREAT, BRACING FIN MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY EXTERIORLY OF THE HORN AMPLIFIER WALL AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH, THE REAR ENDS OF SAID FIN MEANS HAVING A TAPER CORRESPONDING TO THE FORWARD TAPERED END OF THE CENTER PIECE AND IN ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; AND A MUTE SEPARABLY FRICTION-FITTED WITHIN THE FLARED FORWARD END OF THE HORN AMPLIFIER AND PROJECTING FORWARDLY THEREOF, SAID MUTE HAVING A TAPERED AXIAL BORE WITH ITS SMALLER DIAMETER END AT THE REAR END OF THE MUTE, AND THE AXIAL BORES OF EACH OF SAID COMPONENT PARTS OF THE WIND INSTRUMENT IN THE ASSEMBLED RELATION THEREOF BEING CO-AXIAL. 